From the Other Side
by Ashlee Weeks
Summary: An account of the life and times of Sirius Black
1. Chapter 1

_It was dark, and it was beginning to rain. He was cold, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep through this thunderstorm. But where was he? He didn't recognize the area he was in. This certainly wasn't London. This didn't even look like anywhere in the United Kingdom. There were tall, dense trees in the deserted area around the dirt road. He looked around him again. A tall, slender woman caught his eye. She walked along in front of him, not seeming to notice the rain that was beginning to come down. He started to suggest that she go inside, since she was certain to get sick out in this weather. All that came out of his mouth was a whimper. The woman stopped and turned around. Her short fleecy hair partially covered her eyes. He could tell she was staring at him. She smiled kindly, the metal tags around her neck clinking. She was certainly odd looking. She was beautiful, but her short hair, American Military tags, fatigues, and boots showed that she was some kind of soldier. But he wasn't stupid, even he knew the policy. No women in the military but nurses._

_'Strange looking nurse' he thought to himself._

_Her smile faded a little, and she turned and kept walking. The rain didn't get any harder, but continued at its slow, sad pace. The woman stretched, brushing her hair out of her face. He stopped in amazement as she ran her fingers through her hair, which grew down to her lower back. She sighed in relief and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She neared a storefront porch and sat down, out of the rain. He stepped up onto the porch next to her. She looked down, a little surprised that he had followed her, but reached down and pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He licked his lips. His favorite. She looked over at him with a sly grin.  
She ripped the sandwich in half and gave half to him. He ate it hungrily. She hadn't even started her half before he had finished his._

_"I'm sure they'll have something before we leave for home." She said, giving him the other half. He looked at it guiltily, but ate it. He was famished. She watched him quietly. He looked up at her now sad face. Her deep blue eyes, looked mournful, on the verge of tears._

_"You look like someone special to me." She laughed, trying to hide the tears. "Almost 14 years, since I've seen my husband. 14 Years since he's held me in his arms." She sniffled and wiped away her tears. He nudged her arm. She looked over at him, her fair skin red from her crying. But when she looked at him, her face went completely blank.  
"Are you okay?" He asked, however, it wasn't his voice. It was deeper, more masculine.  
The blank stare was replaced with a look of pure fear. She stood up quickly, Her hair swishing around behind her. She stepped out into the now pouring rain. Her hair quickly became dark and wet. He stood up and stepped out into the rain as well. She backed away from him._

_"Orion," His pleas were met with something he did not recognize. It was metal, he knew that much. He thought it was what the muggles called a nun? No that wasn't it...pun? That wasn't it either. Gun? Yes that was it, it was called a gun.  
But she was clearly a witch, so why did she have one? All he knew was that he did not like the dark metal barrel pointed straight between his eyes. She backed away, and he slowly advanced._

_One of her hands fumbled through her pockets, looking for something. Finally with a yell of triumph, she threw the gun to the side, and whipped out her wand. Now, he froze. He knew exactly what that was, and he knew what damage could be done with that. She stepped back, to far, and fell back onto another porch. He stepped up onto the porch, his legs on either side of hers. He kneeled down close to her face, suddenly realizing the mental dispute going on in her head.  
To her, this was the real test, turn in her husband, or give in to her emotions. On one hand, she could leave America, and go back to Britain, but on the other, she'd be happier anywhere with him, than alone in England. But what would she do?  
He stared at her, afraid of what her mind would do. She was dedicated; he could sense that about her. But she dropped her wand and threw her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her, and held her tight.  
She finally pulled away and stood up, The thunder rolling around them. He stood back, still in front of her. She wouldn't look at him. She didn't believe it._

_"This is another dream isn't it?"_

_He sighed and put his hand under her chin. Slowly, she turned her big Prussian blue eyes at him. She opened her mouth to say something but suddenly-_

"SIRIUS BLACK GET OUT OF BED!"  
Sirius snapped awake in his bed.  
"GET OUT OF BED OR YOU'LL MISS THE TRAIN!"  
"I'M UP!" He yelled back.  
"WELL GET OUT OF BED!"  
"OKAY!" He shouted.  
He got out of bed and quickly dressed. He threw the rest of his stuff in his trunk and dragged it down the stairs.  
"ARE YOU DRESSED?" His mother shouted from the entrance way.  
"YES MOTHER, I AM DRESSED AN READY TO GO!" He shouted from ten feet away from her.  
"Mind your mother Master Sirius." The house elf Kreacher said quietly, presenting a cup of tea. Sirius gulped it down and gave it back, then banged his way down the stairs.  
"The train is leaving in half an hour! Can't you do something about your hair?" Mrs. Black barked at him.  
"No." He said stubbornly.  
"Well hurry up." She said, sweeping her robes into the fireplace with a loud "Platform 9 3/4." She vanished in a swirl of green flames.  
Sirius pushed his trunk into the flames, stepped in and looked around his home.  
"Good riddance." He said to himself. "Platform 9 3/4!"

Sirius looked around him at all the people on the platform to board the train. The people were everywhere. To none of his surprise, his mother had not waited for him to arrive. He sighed and boarded the train. He headed straight for the back. The last compartment was completely deserted. He put his trunk in the rack and stepped off the train. He found his mother talking to some particularly important looking people. HE waited until she finished what she was saying before tapping her on the shoulder.  
"Mother, I'm leaving."  
"So?"  
"I just wanted to say goodbye."  
"Well goodbye."  
Sirius turned away and moved through the crowd gracefully. His father had taught him to never cause attention and taught him to disappear into crowds. He was just remembering these lessons, when he bumped into a girl with a cat perched on her shoulder. Her hair covered her face mostly, but she apologized quickly.  
A passerby whispered to their mother,  
"That's her! That's Elizabeth Wayne! The dancer! That's her!" The boy said.  
Sirius boarded the train and headed back to his compartment. HE sat down a looked out the window. His eyes roamed over the crowd, and he thought distantly of how he would like o be one of the students whose parents were actually sad to see them going away to school. His eyes swept past the girl again, but came to a screeching halt and back to her.  
It was her, the girl with the fleecy brown hair and Prussian blue eyes. Her hair was mid back length, but he was sure it was her.  
Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Sirius' eyes were torn away, and he stood up and opened the door. There stood a boy about his age. He look exhausted, but very excited.  
"Is there any room for me?" He asked curiously. Sirius smiled.  
"Of course, come right in."  
The boy came in gratefully.  
"I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said, extending his hand.  
"Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you."  
They sat down across from each other.  
"We should be leaving in a few minutes." Remus said.

Sirius nodded and looked back outside. The girl was now apologizing once more to another boy who looked about their age. Her face was in a beautiful smile, his in a silly grin. Two people tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to face that could only be her parents. Sirius knew who they were. The Wayne's were prominent American Ministry officials. She had a brother, Bruce Wayne. She herself, Elizabeth Wayne, was famous. She was a very talented musician and a world famous ballerina. She was noted for her red ballet slippers. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne scooped Bruce and Elizabeth into a loving hug. Finally, they let go, and Elizabeth, Bruce, and the boy got on the train.

Sirius stared out the window, not seeing his mother, guessing that she had already left, when yet another knock stirred him from his thoughts. He got up quickly and answered the door. The boy standing in the door.  
"Is there any room for two more people?"  
"Sure." Sirius said, opening the door. The boy stepped in, and none other and Elizabeth Wayne followed. She made it inside perhaps a little faster than she would have liked because a boy slammed into her back, caushing to her pitch forward and was saved only when she grabbed the frame of the door and sent her cat flying off her shoulder. "Help me please!" he yelped.  
Elizabeth straightened up and smiled kindly. He followed her inside. Her cat leapt onto Sirius' shoulder. She looked embarrassed as she shut the door.  
"Oh I'm so sorry! Pero get off him!"  
"No he's all right." Sirius said, grinning at her.  
Remus also rose to him feet.  
"Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you."  
"Elizabeth Wayne. Its nice to meet you Remus."  
"Elizabeth Wayne the dancer?" the small boy stuttered.  
"Yes." She said warily  
"I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said, stepping towards her.  
"Hi, I'm Elizabeth." she said, she shook his hand, but the moment she touched his hand, the vision of the woman in the rain came back. The look of shock registered on her face as well. She let go of his hand quickly.  
"I'm Peter Pettigrew." The small boy said. The last boy looked at them all except Elizabeth.  
"I'm James Potter."  
They sat down as the train started to move.  
"Didn't your brother get on the train?"  
"Yes, but he's sitting with someone we know."  
"Oh I see. Peter, who were you running from?"  
"Some mean guys."  
"Those guys who were being really rude?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly looking rather annoyed.  
Peter nodded.  
"One with greasy black hair, the other with silvery blonde?" James added, looked much as Elizabeth did.  
Peter nodded.  
"My family knows them." Sirius said. "Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy."  
The people in the compartment stared at him.  
" _I_ don't like them."


	2. Chapter 2

The trip to Hogwarts other than Lucius Malfoy turning up to scare Peter was rather uneventful. Sirius nipped that in the bud by unleashing his Clow cards upon Malfoy, and they heard from no one for the rest of the day.

By the time that the sun began to go down, the witch with the lunch cart came back to tell them that they might want to go get dressed. Elizabeth opened her trunk and pulled out the Hogwarts Uniforms, which for girls was the white shirt, tie, robes, grey sweater, and long skirts with many petticoats underneath. She excused herself and went to go change. Remus went and retrieved her form the hall when they were done changing. It was at this point when she came back inside, put her clothes trunk and took her place between Sirius and James, that the boys noticed how thin she was.

They talked anxiously of what house they thought they would be sorted into for the remainder of the journey.  
"I've always been a bookworm, I think I'll be sorted into Ravenclaw." Remus said.  
"I don't do much of anything special, I'll probably be in Hufflepuff." Peter said.  
"I think I'll be in Gryffindor, I'm always causing trouble." James said.  
"Me too." Sirius added.  
" I dunno, I'll probably be sorted into Ravenclaw as well." Elizabeth said looking at Remus. James and Sirius were a little put out by the fact that she seriously doubted she'd be in Gryffindor.  
The train slowed and came to a halt in the small town of Hogsmeade. Elizabeth scooped up Pero and carried him down the train to a friend, Jacob, who was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She got off the train with James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Bruce. A tall dark figure at the end of the platform waved a lantern through the air, nearly hitting a few students in the head.  
"Firs' Years this way!" he shouted.  
The first years jostled their way through the crowd down to the huge man.  
" Ah, the firsties! I'm Hagrid!" He squealed with delight. He looked around at them all. "Well, lets be off." the new students followed Hagrid down a small path, with the girls putting rather irked faces on at having to walk through narrow paths and hold their skirts and petticoats off the ground. They finally arrived at the foot of the trail at the edge of a lake. There was a fleet of boats waiting for them there.  
The first years stood in awe looking up at the castle. It looked amazing. The welcoming lights of the school twinkled at them warmly.  
Hagrid stood at the edge of the lake, helping the students into the boats. The one condition was that the students had to introduce themselves first. Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew. They went by cautiously. He came to a halt at Elizabeth.  
"Elizabeth Wayne, the dancer and musician!" He said happily. She looked a little surprised, as she hadn't opened her mouth yet. She smiled however.  
"Yes Sir, Its lovely to meet you Hagrid."  
"Oh don't be calling the likes of me Sir!" HE said helping her into the boat. Elizabeth Wayne, Bruce Wayne, another pretty girl who Elizabeth seemed to know, and a girl with soft, curly red hair.  
The boats soon set out and glided across the lake to the school. The students stumbled out and climbed the stone staircase to the school. Hagrid left them at a Large Staircase in the School and went inside another room. A stern, but fairly young witch met them at the top of the staircase.  
"I'm Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmiss tress and Head of Gryffindor. Please follow me."  
The students looked at each other cautiously, and followed her into a large room, The Great Hall as she called it. She walked down the middle isle of students with a stool and tattered old hat. The first years stopped behind her as she turned around.  
"When I call your name, please sit on the stool and you will be sorted by the Sorting Hat."  
"That thing is going to Sort us?" James said. Sirius shrugged.  
The Sorting Hat began to move. It opened its brim wide and sang a song to the Great Hall. As it finished the students burst into applause over the hats song about the four houses.  
Professor McGonagall unrolled a list of parchment.  
"Black, Sirius!" Sirius walked over and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall set the hat on his head. It interrupted his thoughts.  
"Yes, I see lots of pain in your future, Lots of pain, but many good times. I believe you will cope better in GRYFFINDOR!"  
The Gryffindor gave thunderous applause as Sirius sat down with his housemates.  
"Crantz, Matilda" Matilda Crantz stumbled up and sat down on the stool. Professor McGonagall sat the hat on her head.  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
Matilda go up and ran down to the table that had erupted into applause.  
"Chillingsworth. Vanessa"  
Vanessa sat on the stool.  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
The Ravenclaw's burst into applause.  
"Evans. Lily!"  
Lily sat on he stool gracefully.  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
The Gryffindor table burst out in thunderous applause and yells.  
Lily smiled and sat down at the table.  
The list went on and on.  
Remus was sorted into Gryffindor, oddly. Peter was surprisingly sorted into Gryffindor. His applause was rather scattered. But, James was sorted into Gryffindor, just like he thought.  
"Starling, Callie" the other girl in the boat with Elizabeth sat down gracefully.  
McGonagall set the hat on her head. The same troubled looked that had crossed James' and Sirius was sure, his own, passed over her face.  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
Callie smiled and went to sit down with her new house.  
The sorting went on, until finally, it came to the end, The Wayne's.  
"Wayne, Bruce"  
Bruce sat down obediently on the stool.  
It had barely touched his head when the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"  
Bruce looked contented and sat down with his house, watching his sister anxiously.  
"Wayne, Elizabeth"  
Whispers spread throughout the Great Hall as she took her place. They grew louder when red ballet slippers could be seen under her many petticoats.  
McGonagall set the hate on her head. It was completely silent. The hat opened its brim to say something then stopped. The troubled look passed Elizabeth's face, then the hat finally decided upon. "GRYFFINDOR!"  
The Gryffindor jumped to their feet that they had gotten a celebrity in their house. She had barely made her way to the table and gotten a hug from Bruce before she got a larger one from who could only be Jacob and Adam. They finally let go of her and she sat down between Remus and Sirius. They watched the Headmaster avidly as he stood up.  
"Welcome to another Year at Hogwarts. I'm sure all of you are very hungry so I shall be as fast as possible. No students are allowed in the Forbidden Forest, and please follow the rules. No dueling in the halls." Dumbledore looked around. "Well, I'm sure you'll learn the rest along the way. Lets eat!"  
Scrumptious looking food covered the tables. The student's faces lit up with delight and they dug in. They talked with delight as they finished their meals. The Head Boy introduced himself to the first years at Gryffindor Table.  
"Arthur Weasley, lovely to meet you! Do try winning some house points. We need to win this year!"  
Finally the last of the foods faded from the plates. Dumbledore stood up again.  
"I have two words for you all, Tuck in!"  
The students rose slowly and followed their prefect to their respected common rooms. The Gryffindor's climbed for some time until at last, Arthur came to a halt in front of a picture of a large woman in a pink dress.  
"Where's the common room?" Peter asked timidly from over Arthur's shoulder.  
"Password?" The Fat Lady asked.  
"Blunderfoot" Arthur said.  
The Fat Lady nodded and swung forward to admit them to the common room. The students trudged into the common room.  
"Boys, up the staircase on your left. Girls up the stairs to your right." Elizabeth kissed Bruce goodnight, then followed Callie and Lily up the stairs to their new home.  
The boys ran up the stairs to their room, Peter and Bruce in front. James looked somewhat troubled.  
"What's wrong?" Sirius inquired.  
"The hat.. It said something about great pain, and being bale to better cope with it by being with people in this house."  
Sirius and Remus both stopped midway up the stairs. Evidently their dorm was at the very top of the steps.  
Remus looked from Sirius to James.  
"It said that to me too."  
"Me too."  
The three looked at each other, lost for words.


	3. Chapter 3

They went to bed silently. No one talked to each other. Bruce talked spiritedly with Peter, and they finally went to bed. The silence was only broken by Remus who gave a polite, "Goodnight." To his new dorm mates.

_Sirius came to in the dark, and it was raining again. He was bound with his arms behind his back, and he was lying on the cold stone ground. His head pounded and he knew that at least his lip was bleeding. A tall, robed figure stood not far away.  
"Someone will come for you. They'll send someone from the top to get you. Perhaps your lovely wife-"  
"She'll never come!" Sirius heard himself shout.  
"Oh but I think she will. Perhaps even sometime soon."  
"Orion isn't stupid, she'll never come!" He shouted.  
The man suddenly spun around, his wet cloak flying around behind him. There was a loud crack, and the two tall heavy doors at one end of the courtyard burst open. She came striding out, her wand held in front of her, and aura of fury seemingly draped her. Her dark brown hair was wet and heavy, but it still flowed out behind her as though in a light breeze. Her robes were much the same, flowing out behind her. She put her wand back in her pocket.  
"Reducto!" The man shouted. She simply leaned to the right, and it shot straight past her. She didn't bat an eyelid. She pulled out her wand, and stopped.  
Sirius watched, almost horrified, laying on the ground some twenty feet away, in-between the two.  
"Reducto!" The man shouted again.  
She dove out of the way and hit the stone floor, sliding through the rain.  
"Stupefy!" she shouted. The man threw up a shield and dove out of the way.  
Rushing toward her, he healed his wand aloft.  
"Crucio!" he screamed.  
"Avada Kedavera!" She shouted. Sirius closed his eyes from the green blaze. He opened them a few moments later. The man was miraculously still standing. Sirius watched him; he then dropped his wand first, and then fell face first heavily onto the stone pathway. Elizabeth stood up and ran to Sirius. She put her wand away and pulled a long knife out of her boot to cut his bindings. She sniffled, in a hurry to untie him, to make sure he was okay. After running her hands over his arms, legs, back and stomach to check that he was all right, she helped him sit up. He surveyed her closely. She was trembling. They got up, she pulled something out of her pocket.  
"Here." She said softly. He held out his hand, and Elizabeth set his Clow key in it. He stared at it for a moment. He suddenly realized that he wasn't staring at the Key; he was staring at Elizabeth's feet. His eyes followed her body up to her face. Her face looked defiant, as if what she has just done didn't really bother her, but her eyes told a completely different story. Her deep blue eyes looked remorseful, full of pain. He had always been good at reading her eyes. She looked lost, like she didn't know where she was, or what to do. Her eyes met his, and she stared at the ground. He felt safer now. Her eyes said that she felt very unsafe. He pulled her close and held her tight. Her head rested on his shoulder, he rested his head stop hers and she untensed.  
They stood in the rain silently. She pulled her head back and looked at him He looked back into her deep blue eyes. Their faces grew closer and closer until-_  
"Sirius! Get up! You need to get some breakfast before class!" Bruce said, pulling back the hangings.  
Sirius rolled out of bed, scratching his head. Bruce and Peter left the common room. He pulled on some clothes and followed James and Remus downstairs. He came into the Common room just in time to see Callie and Elizabeth rush downstairs. They stopped when they got there and started to walk down to the Great Hall, but as soon as her eyes fell upon Sirius, her cheeks blushed pink, and she hurried out of the common room. Callie looked confused, and followed after her.  
"What was her problem?" James mumbled.  
"I dunno, maybe we should ask when we get to the Great Hall." Sirius said, wonder if it was the same reason he too was blushing.

He arrived in the Great Hall not long after Callie and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was eating a biscuit, all that seemed to be her breakfast and sipping some orange juice. She didn't see him walk in, but Callie did. Sirius made a sign, and Callie slipped away from Elizabeth and walked around to the other side of the table. Sirius sat down next to her. James sat on the other side of her, where she happened to be looking. Remus sat next to Callie.  
"Good morning!" Elizabeth said brightly. "Breakfast is almost over, you'd better eat fast."  
"Good morning to you too, and I will." James said kindly.  
Elizabeth looked to Remus.  
"Morning!"  
"Good Morning. Here's the schedule for us." Remus replied, handing a schedule to her. She smiled and looked it over.  
Sirius looked over on her schedule.  
"Transfiguration starts in 10 minutes."  
Elizabeth's face went pale. She almost fell over herself standing up. She looked shocked, but gave him a frightened smile before grabbing her bag and running out of the Great Hall saying something about forgetting a quill. Sirius moved over into her seat.  
"What's her problem?" James pressed on Callie.  
"She just had a weird dream about Sirius." She said, looking at him curiously.  
"Well she's probably hungry." Sirius said, grabbing a biscuit and standing up. I'll see you all in class." He left after Elizabeth. She was sitting on the Grand Staircase. Her eyes widened when he came through the doors. He sat down next to her and handed her the biscuit.  
"Are you okay?"  
She nodded quickly, her hair bouncing on her shoulders.  
"I had the weirdest dream last night. Do you ever have those?" She nodded again.  
"You know Elizabeth, you're welcome to talk."  
"Sorry, I just have a feeling that I've seen to somewhere before."  
"Well I've never been to America."  
"Not in reality, In dreams.." Her voice drifted off.  
"Are you serious?" Sirius asked. She blushed again.  
" I know it sounds stupid -"  
"No, I get the same feeling about you. I had a dream about you last night."  
She looked at him. "What?" He asked.  
"It was raining, and you were tied up." She said, biting her lip.  
"How did you-"  
Their conversation was suddenly cut off by the students coming out of the great Hall. They stood up hurriedly and set off to class with the Gryffindor's, Elizabeth quietly nibbling on her biscuit, Sirius following close by.

It didn't seem like it had been a very long time until The Quidditch Captain came around the Common Room came picking out people to come to Quidditch Trials. He wanted the cream of the crop this go around. He came upon Sirius, Elizabeth, James, and Callie late on evening while they finished their homework. Elizabeth had her viola laying on the table beside her.  
"Evening," The American Captain said. "I'm Adam. Adam Darlian. Might I convince you to come to Quidditch Trials?"  
"I thought first years weren't allowed to be on the team." Callie said calmly, looking up from her Potions homework.  
"Well they usually aren't good enough, but you've got the bodies for it."  
Sirius, James and Callie looked at one another then to Elizabeth, who still hadn't looked up.  
"I don't know Adam, I don't have a lot of time with Orchestra."  
Adam looked slightly annoyed.  
"Liz, I'm in the Orchestra. And you're coming because I've been telling you since you were a little kid that you would make a great Beater."  
Elizabeth finished writing the sentence, then looked up at him.  
Her eyes searched him over.  
"Okay, I'll be there." she said, smiling.  
Adam grinned.  
"I knew that softball would come in handy!" he said walking away.  
Elizabeth finished her paper and put it back in her bag.  
"When are the Trials?"  
"Tomorrow," Sirius said.  
"Great. Well I'll see y'all tomorrow." She said, picking up her Viola and walking upstairs after giving her brother a kiss goodnight.

The next day was crisp and clear. The day went by so slow, Sirius was sure that time wasn't moving at all. But finally, after Elizabeth woke him up at the end of History of Magic, he quickly ate dinner before walking down onto the field with his friends.  
Adam was waiting for them with the two other players on the team. There were a few assorted others already there. But Adam, Jacob, and Sophie were the only ones in uniform.  
"Okay, beaters, over here, chaser's over here, and keeper's, over here." Adam said.  
The trials lasted for a long while. The only person Sirius really knew was Elizabeth, who sat on the grass with him watching the other Beater hopefuls with Jacob while Adam tested the Keepers and Sophie took the Chasers.  
Sirius and Elizabeth giggled and whispered things to each other about the other Beaters. One boy got knocked out before even knowing where the Bludger was. Another boy went up, the last one before Sirius, and Jacob let the Bludger go.  
"Where's the Bludger Tommy?" Jacob said casually.  
"What Bludger?" WHACK!  
With a sickening crunch everyone on the Quidditch Field froze, their heads jerked towards Tommy, whose arm had been crushed by the Bludger.  
Sirius felt his mouth fall open. He turned his head towards Elizabeth, whose mouth was also opened; she finally turned to look at him. Jacob hurried Tommy off to hospital wing, while Trials resumed, and Sirius and Elizabeth continued staring at the point where Tommy had been in shock.  
"Sirius?" Elizabeth said quietly.  
"Huh?" was all he could manage.  
"I'm gonna die."  
"uh huh.." they continued to stare.  
"Sirius! Your turn!" Jacob said, walking back on to the Field and picking up a Bat. "Ready?"  
Sirius stared at him. Elizabeth shook him gently. Sirius snapped back to reality and got up.  
"Good Luck!" Elizabeth called after him. He grinned half heartedly as Elizabeth dropped her back down onto the soft grass and watched James' trial high above her.  
Jacob let the Bludger go. He saw the Bludger coming towards him; he let his reflexes take over and knocked the Bludger away from him. It flew straight over Elizabeth, who didn't bat an eyelid, but kept watching James.  
"Your doing' great Sirius." she called over without sitting up.  
The Bludger came back, zooming back over Elizabeth's head, which still did nothing. It headed straight for Sirius' legs, so he simply jumped in the air and hit the top of it, driving it into the ground. Jacob jumped on top of it wan wrestled it into the trunk.  
"Very nicely done! The results should be posted by tomorrow afternoon."  
Sirius turned around and headed back towards Elizabeth.  
"Liz! Your turn." Jacob called.  
She sat up and got to her feet. Sirius handed her the bat with a grin.  
"Good Luck."  
Elizabeth walked towards Jacob. Sirius wondered how good she would do. She was the only girl trying out for Beater. She seemed so small a frail compared to some of the people trying out; it seemed in sane for her to try. But then, he reasoned, he had never seen her arms above the wrist. Maybe she had some muscle on her arms. He knew it had to be on her legs, after all she was a dancer, but he wasn't sure.  
She stood waiting. Jacob let the Bludger go, which zoomed towards her. She took the stance of a batter, and slammed the Bludger away from her with a loud clang. Adam, Sophie, Callie, and James once more froze, watching with wonder. It came rocketing back, but Sirius saw with almost horror that the look on her face was glee, not fear or concentration.  
"BUNT!" She shouted holding both ends of the bat in front of her. The Bludger hit it and bounced off, not going far before Jacob froze it and wrestled it back into the box.  
"You'll know by tomorrow!" Jacob said with a smile.  
The next day still just couldn't go fats enough. But as James, Callie Sirius and Elizabeth walked back from Dinner, they were nearly thrown to the ground by Bruce and Peter, who launched themselves out from behind a corner at them.  
"YOU MADE THE TEAM! YOU ALL MADE THE TEAM!" Soon they were all jumping up and down with happiness before Bruce and Peter once more ran off to get some dinner. They hurried around the corner before they were pulled into a bone-cracking hug by Adam who was waiting just inside the common Room Door.  
While Adam squeezed them all tightly, they suddenly came to the realization that they had just succumbed to the maniac that was their Quidditch Captain.

Quidditch Practice began almost immediately. Soon the group found themselves making us excuses to get away from Peter, who was always pestering one of them to do something with him. James would reel off that he had to help Callie with her art, while Sirius had to go help Elizabeth stretch of setup for the orchestra. They did however find themselves quite in a jam one afternoon when Peter discovered that there was a balcony in the Gryffindor tower. Worse yet, he thought he saw the group go out onto it just before he came in. In truth, yes, they had gone outside just before he came in, but Remus and Elizabeth had thought they'd shut the curtains just behind them. Sirius made just quick enough to latch the doors and move out of the way before Peter pulled back the curtain. He saw no one outside. He closed the curtains and went to go find Bruce.  
The students outside were beside themselves, all except for Sirius, who was busy fumbling around his collar looking for his Clow Key. He pulled it out quickly and found the card he was looking for.  
"Everyone find a buddy." he said. They didn't need telling twice. Elizabeth grabbed on to Remus' arm, while Callie grabbed James by his sleeve.  
"Float!" He called out. The group was taken by surprise as they lifted off the air and up over the door, where they came to a hovering halt, just out of site. Peter came out moments later, by himself, having been unable to find Bruce anywhere. He looked around him in confusion. HE looked left, right, and even looked over the edge of the balcony. He gave up his search and went inside. Sirius' humor kicked in for the first time that day, and he brought them slowly to the balcony before recalling the card while they were still floating in midair. They dropped the ground like rocks, everyone landing on top of each other, except of course for Sirius, who landed safely by the door.  
Though Elizabeth slapped him, he decided that that was by far the best prank he'd played yet.

They're first Quidditch match was a joke. They played Hufflepuff, who they squashed. Adam found the snitch some 20 minutes into the game, and half the Hufflepuff team was on the ground knocked out. Two Chasers, one Beater, and the Seeker were all that was left of the Hufflepuff team. However, after they're smashing victory, Adam decided to wind them down by making them run laps around the Quidditch Pitch. This did serve as a very effective way for wearing them out, so when they finally made it back up to the common room, they trudged upstairs and immediately went to bed, with the obvious exception of James and Sirius, who were always on the mood for a party.

Halloween passed with great speed, and soon they were all looking forward to Christmas when they could all go home. That winter was a cold one, and they got so much snow, all outdoor classes had to be moved inside, and Quidditch Practices had to be postponed until after the break. Adam of course decided that snow was no reason to stop Practices, so he decided to condition his players until the end of the term by making them jog through the corridors and hallways. Sirius decided that he would be staying at school for the break, but Bruce, Elizabeth, Jacob, and Callie would all be going home to America. Time passed much more quickly then they anticipated, and before they knew it, it was just in time for one last week of the term before break, which was welcomed in the Gryffindor tower.


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce and Elizabeth kept going on about some lay their parents were taking them to see. Why they would be excited about seeing a play, Sirius didn't know. All he knew was that he and James were staying at school. Unfortunately, so was Peter.

Sirius almost found himself dreading that Elizabeth and Bruce were leaving for a while. No it was only a few weeks, but still, whom would he hang out with. He and James could only get into so much trouble.

As it always does, time couldn't have gone faster for Sirius and the next thing he knew, it was the night before the end of the term.  
_It was dark, there was steam coming from a nearby vent in the alleyway.  
Suddenly, there was Elizabeth right next to James, a wide smile, walking away form him.  
"Don't look so down!" she called out. "We'll be back in a few weeks!"_  
He flashed back to the alleyway, _he heard a loud scream of horror, and he spun around and saw Elizabeth and Bruce backing away, their eye's full of fear and helplessness._  
Sirius snapped up in bed. It took him a minute to realize where he was. He we still at school, he was safe. But what about...  
He pulled back the hanging of his bed and got up. He walked across the room to Bruce's bed and pulled the hangings back just wide enough to see inside. Bruce was sleeping comfortably. He was safe.

Sirius walked over to the window, his mind racing to fast for him to go back to sleep. He looked out over the snow-covered grounds. He couldn't possibly imagine anyone who would want to hurt the Wayne's for any reason. When it was this peaceful outside, who would want to?

The door behind him creaked open. Elizabeth tiptoed in but stopped when she saw Sirius.  
"Something wrong?" he whispered.  
"I had a dream, I was just checking on Bruce."  
Sirius stayed by the window while she walked over to Bruce's bed to discover for herself that he was still sleeping safely.  
She turned to go back to the door.  
"Why are you doing awake at this time?"  
"I had a dream, I couldn't go back to sleep."  
He wasn't sure if she was frowning or smiling, a cloud had drifted in front of the moon.  
He saw her figure turn to walk back to the door.  
"Elizabeth," he said quietly. She stopped, the cloud moved and the room was bathed in moonlight. "When you get back to Gotham, be careful."  
Still, he couldn't see her face, but the long pause showed Sirius that she knew exactly what he was talking about.  
"I will"

Bruce and his sister had a long trip ahead of them, and bundled up for the journey. They left around noon. James, Sirius, and Peter walked down the front steps with them as Remus said good-bye and got in the carriage. Bruce and Elizabeth said goodbye and followed after Remus. Elizabeth turned her head towards Sirius.

"Don't look so down!" She called. "We'll be back in a few weeks!" She climbed into the carriage behind her brother and they left.  
Sirius almost fell over. Would the rest of the dream come to pass?

Sirius got a letter the next day from Elizabeth to let them know that they got home, but that she had punched Lucius Malfoy in the face on the train ride back to Platform 9 3/4. Sirius couldn't help but laugh as he imagined Elizabeth, the ballet dancer/ musician punching Lucius Malfoy right in the face.

He and James spent the week leading up to Christmas playing little pranks on people around the castle. They also gave Sophie some money to pick out some presents for friends before she went to Hogsmeade.

She came back with a large stuffed lion for Elizabeth fro, Sirius, a book on self defense spells for Remus, and a book of muggle magic tricks for Bruce.  
From James, she came back with a pack of Sugar Quills and Prussian blue ink to match Elizabeth's eyes, a model broomstick for Bruce, and a map of the galaxy, allowing Remus to not have to take any Astronomy classes, even though he would probably take them anyway.

They had to enlist the help of none other than Lily Evans to wrap the presents, as they no idea how to do it.  
They sent the packages off soon after and just a day later, they found themselves heading up to bed on Christmas Eve.  
Sirius awoke the next morning to the grinning face of James, he turned his head, trying to get back to sleep, but all he met was the equally grinning face of Peter. Sirius cried out and sat up quickly, while James and Peter laughed. There were presents at the foot of his bed. His face split into a wide grin.

HE reached for the presents, from his friends. James had given him a poster from his favorite Quidditch team. Peter had given him a box full of things from Honeydukes. Remus had sent him a pocketknife that turned out to be quite useful. And from Elizabeth, a scarf that when worn felt like someone was constantly kissing your neck. Gryffindor colors, so he could wear it whenever he pleased.

Soon after Christmas, a few days before New Years, Sirius had a disturbing dream.

_He was standing in a dark alleyway; steam was rising from a building vent. Four people started his way. One, a tall strong man of great stature walked forward arm in arm with Elizabeth; Sirius remembered that this was Mr. Wayne. Elizabeth wore a long black skirt with petticoats beneath, and white shirt, and a small black jacket over the shirt. She wore no coat.  
He was the Head of Magical Intelligence Investigation. He looked into possible threats against the magic community. Elizabeth had told Sirius about some people that had been causing trouble about some guy who had a really strange name._

_  
He looked on at what he was seeing. Elizabeth was close to her father, who shared his coat with her for warmth laughing at the odd shape that his wife and Bruce saw behind them. Mrs. Wayne was beautiful, she was fashionable and Sirius could tell that she was respected by all, but very kind. She and Bruce jumped over puddles laughing about the play they had just seen. She carried a rose that Sirius could only guess Mr. Wayne had bought for her. They walked past, still laughing. Two men crept down the alleyway behind them. Sirius tried to yell, but no one could hear him. One of them pulled out a metal object and pointed it at the Wayne's. Sirius thought this was called a gun. Muggles used them to kill each other. Mr. Wayne took off his trench coat and put it around Elizabeth's shoulders. One of the men pulled back something on the gun. _

_  
The Wayne's spun around. Mrs. Wayne pushed Bruce behind her. Mr. Wayne pushed Elizabeth towards the wall, Bruce ran after her. Dr. Wayne started toward the men, but the one with the gun was to fast. He pulled the trigger, pulled back the hammer and pulled the trigger again. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne fall the other ground, Mrs. Wayne's rose falling from her hand and landing in a puddle. The man with the gun pulled back the hammer once more, but the other man pulled him away.  
"Tell me kids, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"  
They disappeared into the steam. Bruce started yelling for help, between his cries, Elizabeth started screaming._

Sirius woke with a starting yell. James fell out of bed and Peter got tangled in the hanging.  
"What's wrong?"  
Sirius was busy fumbling for parchment and a quill. James grabbed him roughly by his arm.  
"Sirius! Calm down! What's wrong?"  
Sirius suddenly stopped struggling, Elizabeth's scream still ringing in his ears.

"It was just a dream mate, calm down." James said, letting go of Sirius' arm. Sirius knew that that was no dream, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it now. He got back in bed but lay awake long after his dorm mates had fallen asleep.

Owl Post arrived early the next morning. It was from Callie, nothing but a newspaper article from a muggle newspaper. There was no note attached. He pulled out the article and read the headline, it was the front page. James leaned over to read and dropped the goblet in his hand with a clatter.

**  
PROMINENT GOTHAMITES MURDERED**

**DR. THOMAS AND MARTHA WAYNE GUNNED DOWN**

The article that followed told about the Wayne's and how they were killed. There was a picture below of Bruce and Elizabeth.  
"Look a their faces," James drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5

Sirius and James waited tensely for their classmates to return, and when they did, Callie returned to the Gryffindor Common room with Adam and Jacob, but devoid of Elizabeth or Bruce.  
James and Sirius both leapt to their feet upon seeing Callie come in.  
"Where's Liz?" James asked hurriedly." And Bruce?"  
Callie shook her head sadly.  
"They're not coming back."

Sirius was staggered. He lowered himself in to a chair by the fire, staring at the happily dancing flames within. Callie sat down in front of him, while Jacob and Adam trudged up to their dorm.  
"People are threatening them. People that Mr. Wayne knew were no good. Death, kidnapping, they're defenseless without their parents."  
"Then why wont they come back to school. Muggles can't get them here." Sirius cut in.  
"Because one of the men that attacked them wasn't a muggle. Do you remember Liz talking about some dark wizard who was starting to get a lot of followers?"  
James nodded.  
Whoever attacked them worked for this guy, he's the on threatening them. They're terrified, and they wont even leave Wayne Manor anymore. That house has a lot of spells on it. It's the safest place for them to be now. -"  
Remus came in. He looked just as grave as Callie.  
"They're not coming back, are they?"

Sirius felt almost surreal as he walked back up to the common room, not hungry for any lunch at the moment. He sat down and pulled out a piece of parchment. He had to at least try to convince her to come back. She would be just as safe at Hogwarts. The American Wizards who were after her and Bruce would never find them here.

He went through several pieces of parchment before he decided on one to send. By this time, the sun had long since gone down. A cold draft swept through the window.  
He sealed an addressed the envelope and walked down the stairs. The group was sitting around the fireplace with Jacob and Adam. They were discussing what to do about the Orchestra; they no longer had anyone to lead.  
James jumped up when Sirius walked through the doors.  
"Where have you been? Are you okay?"  
"I was writing a letter."  
"We thought we'd leave you alone. You and Liz were kinda close." Callie said quietly, shifting her eye's from the fireplace to Sirius' face.  
Sirius nodded and continued out the door.

He had nearly forgotten where the Owlery was; it had been so long since he'd been there.  
He found a barn owl the looked up to a long flight. He gave the Owl the letter and turned to carry it to the window. He stopped dead when he saw a tall slender girl with long dark hair standing by the window. Her long hair blew in a breeze Sirius couldn't feel. She had her arms wrapped around her.

Sirius didn't want to disturb her, so he walked around to another window and let the owl go. When he turned back, he saw that the girl was crying. There were tears rolling down her cheek while she stared blankly out the window.  
"Why did you leave me?" She whispered to herself.  
"Pardon?" Sirius asked. She took no notice of him.  
"Why couldn't you take me with you?"  
"Excuse me?" Sirius said, stepping toward her.  
She reached up and put her hand on the window ledge and stepped into the window, staring out at the grounds. The wind blew cold and bitter through the Owlery. Sirius himself was very cold and if the girl wasn't careful, she might loose her footing. She was dressed very oddly. She wore cowboy boots, but was dressed in all black. She wore gloves that had a small metal plate that covered the tops of her wrists.

"Please don't leave me alone in the dark..." Her voice trailed off, but Sirius was suddenly distracted by someone running through the door. The girl spun around, yanking something off her neck as she turned. Sirius was quite startled to see the Clow Staff in her hand. She only got half way around before the boy who had run in shoved her out the window. Sirius ran to the window, pulling off his own Clow Key.

She fell through the dark, and then disappeared into the darkness.  
Sirius turned to look at the boy, he backed into shadow, an evil grin o his face, and then he to vanished. These were no ghosts of Hogwarts.

"So Remus, why is it that you only go home to see your mother once a month?" James said.  
"I can't miss much school."  
"Bologna" Callie said, with as much of a grin as she could pull at a time like this.  
Remus looked troubled.  
"It's because I-" Sirius came bursting into the Common Room, his face white.  
"What on Earth is wrong?" James said, jumping from his chair. Sirius pulled out his wand and ran straight to the balcony, taking no heed to his friend's inquiries. He threw open both doors and ran outside, the cold gusts sweeping through the room.  
"Sirius what are you doing its freezing out there!" Callie said, staring forward, only to be stopped by the force of the wind.  
"Lumos!" Sirius commanded. His wand lit up and he searched the ground as best he could, but didn't see the girl anywhere.  
He stepped up onto the balcony, looking more. A gust of wind caught him in he chest, but James and Remus yanked him off he balcony and back into the Common Room while Callie and Peter relatched the doors.

"What the hell were you doing?" James said, looking on the verge of punching Sirius.  
"A girl fell out the window in the Owlery, but she's not there anymore." Sirius explained.  
James looked from Sirius, to Callie, to Lupin, to Peter. They all exchanged concerned looks.  
"What did she look like?" Callie whispered.  
"She was tall, and thin, and she had long hair." Sirius started. He didn't even realize that he was basically explaining what Elizabeth looked like.  
"Right, I think you should go to bed now." Remus said standing up and taking Sirius by the arm.  
"No, I'm fine."  
"Yeah, I think you should go to bed." James said also taking him by the arm.  
"Me too. I think we all should." Callie mumbled, tossing a concerned look at Remus.  
"Hear." Peter whispered.  
Much to Sirius' struggles, Remus and James finally managed to pull him up the stairs and throw him in bed before they dressed to go to bed. Sirius did the same, but lay in bed for a long while after, thinking about what he had seen. He knew that he had really seen it, but who was it, and why did she have the Clow staff?

Sirius waited anxiously for Elizabeth's reply, but he was almost relieved when the term began, he didn't have much time to think about her, but also didn't have much time to think about how to make her come back. He waited anxiously every morning for a letter, but Callie pointed out that an owl would have a long distance to cover and get back.

"Relax, she'll write back, it'll just take some time to get here." She said calmly. "She always replies letter, and I doubt she has much else to do right now." she added glumly. He nodded, but her words did little to help his anxiety.  
Her reply came a few weeks into the term on a Saturday. She wrote that she was very happy to get his letter, and that she missed them all and was glad that he liked his present. But, no, she would not come back to school.

He read and reread the letter, then folded it up and put it in his pocket. There had to be another way. Callie also had received a letter and read it with utter fury.  
"What's wrong?" James said with alarm. Sirius snapped back to reality and looked up at Callie.  
Her hands shook with anger and her face was turning red.  
"They- they're.. They're horrible." She managed to mutter.  
"Who?" Remus said. James read over her shoulder, and soon his face resembled Callie's very closely.  
"What is it?"  
James got up, pulling Callie and Peter up with him. Sirius and Remus followed closely after them up to the Common Room. James threw the doors open to the balcony and Remus closed them behind he and Sirius.  
"THOSE FOUL LITTLE COWARDS!" James shouted.  
"What's wrong?" Sirius restated.  
"The ministry isn't investigating Dr. and Mrs. Wayne's murders. They're ruling it a robbery gone bad and leaving it at that."  
"Which means" Peter squeaked. Callie turned around suddenly.  
"Which means that they wont help Liz and Bruce, they have to fend for themselves against whoever is threatening them. The ministry wont protect them."  
Sirius couldn't explain what he did next, but he knew it hurt like no pain he'd ever felt before when he put his fist straight through the French Doors behind him.

After Callie and Peter rushed Sirius down to the hospital wing, James and Remus wrote letters to their parents and to the American Ministry telling them that it was no robbery gone bad and someone had to help Liz and Bruce. Their owls were just leaving when Sirius came in behind them, his hand bandaged up with a letter to send.  
"You shouldn't be writing."  
"I don't care," he said giving the letter to an owl and carrying it to the window. He stopped suddenly.  
"Sirius?" James began, but Sirius but him short.  
Remus and James walked towards him and looked in the direction he was looking.  
"That's her."  
They saw her too; she was looking out the window. She was in a different place than before, but it was her. The same hair, the same height.  
"Why is it that I feel normal when I'm alone now?" She asked. She moved closer to the window and saw on the ledge staring out into the sunset. She moved her head back onto the side of the window frame, her hair sweeping out of her face.  
James and Remus gasped. She looked almost exactly like Liz. But almost as quickly as they'd seen her, she vanished in the blink of an eye. Sirius calmly sent the owl off and turned to leave, James and Remus walking numbly behind him, lost for words.

Though Callie and Peter asked what happened, it seemed James and Remus were too shocked, and Sirius preferred not to talk about it, he simply waited for Elizabeth's reply.  
It came two days later. Again, she expressed her happiness over receiving his letter, but no, she still would not come back to school. Sirius found himself writing letters daily asking her to come back to school. He would keep writing them until she came back.

Almost four months later, at the beginning of April, Callie spoke up about Sirius' actions.  
"Why do you keep asking her about it?" She asked him over breakfast.

"Because she's miserable and she doesn't need to be where she is. She needs to be back here with us, where she's safe."  
Callie looked as if she had no more questions, but another question popped into Sirius' head while she read a letter from Elizabeth.  
"Why do her letters get here faster now? It took a week the first time."  
"Well she couldn't think of how to respond. It took her a week to get it right the way she liked it. She didn't send me mail either because she didn't want you to get angry. I think she wrote some to Jacob and Adam."  
"Your making it up." he said in disbelief. Callie shook her head.

"No, actually I asked her the same question. She wrote it in a letter somewhere. I'll see if I can find it."  
But you said that-"

"I was making up excuses so you'd stay calm. I can see it worked." Callie added with a not of finality. Sirius let it go and didn't talk about it for the rest of the day, and he had completely forgotten about it after James had transfigured a spare quill into a banana peel and set it in front of Malfoy on the Staircase. Malfoy ended up in the hospital wing.  
Callie came down from her dormitory the next day, a Saturday with a letter in her hand.

"It's right here, she said she couldn't think of anything to say." She held the note out for him, but all he had read was "I went through several drafts but I couldn't come up with one that seemed okay to send" before Callie snatched it back up.  
"Cant I read it?"  
"No, some of that is not for you to read."  
"Can I?" James asked in a would - be innocent voice.  
"Sure," she said, handing him the letter.  
"That's not fair!" Sirius said starting to get up.  
"Well some of it concerns you and it's none of your business." Callie said, taking the letter when James finished, a small grin on his face.  
Callie grabbed James by his sleeve and pulled him outside and shut he door. They came back just seconds later. Callie excused herself to continue with her artwork.  
James sat down next to Sirius.  
"So what did she say?" he asked. James looked at him, trying to be serious, but failing miserably.  
"In the honor of dear Orion, I an obligated and obliged not to say anything."  
"Orion, who's that?"  
James gave him a sly grin.  
"LIZ?"  
James hushed him quickly.  
"Why do you call her that if I may be so bold?"  
James looked at Remus for help.  
"Because her head is always in the clouds, and... her eyes..." Remus trailed off, evidently running out of lies.  
"Her eye's look like... the night sky!" James said, looking satisfied with Remus' work.

"Uh.. Huh" Sirius said slowly, not even close to satisfied with the load of horse manure he had just been handed. He got up to go write his daily letter to "Orion" and see what kind of replies he might have gotten so far.

Once he'd finished, he came back downstairs and started once again for the Owlery. To his surprise, James and Remus both held up letters for him to send as well. HE sighed and took their letters but just before he made it to the door, Callie came running down with a letter as well. Sirius rolled his eyes at their laziness.

"Fine then, I'll come too." Callie snapped.  
They walked in silence. An awkward silence. It made Sirius uncomfortable, but he couldn't think of any thing to say.  
"So, you and Liz talk too?"  
"Yeah, Orion is my best friend."  
Again there was an awkward silence.  
"So what did she say about me?"  
"I told you, it's none of your business."  
"Well was it good or bad?"  
"All things considered? I'd say it was good."   
Sirius smiled. At least she still thought well of him even though he'd been pestering her for the last two months.

Sirius woke up early the day he was going to Diagon Alley with the Potters. Third Year was starting in a week or so, and he needed school supplies. He was going to the Potters at Gringotts.  
He stepped out of the Fireplace and headed down the street toward Gringotts.

I probably need to get some more parchment, I'm almost out. He had nearly used it all up writing to Orion, as they now called her regularly. He wasn't paying any attention to where he was going when he clipped a girl walking in the opposite direction.  
"Sorry." she said clearly, turning her head to make herself heard.

"It's okay I-" Sirius found the girl he had bumped into. She looked oddly familiar, but he didn't know who she was. He didn't even realize that he had stopped walking before a hand grabbed his shoulder. Sirius spun around to face James, who'd grown much taller since Sirius had last seen him.

They spent the day shopping for new things they needed, and James made sure to pick up some ingredients they needed for their Animagus positions, even though he knew they were brewing extra, just in case.

They sat down to lunch late that afternoon, as Sirius was staying with the Potters until they left for school. This was a relief to Sirius, as his brother was driving him up the wall.

"So have you heard from Orion lately?" James asked, expecting the question to be rhetorical.  
"Of course, she says the threats are getting worse, but she's doing very well."  
"Did I tell you she sent me a picture of her and her dog that Bruce took?"  
"No, I didn't know you kept in touch."  
"Fairly, I think I have it with me." James reached in his pockets. " Just came this morning." He handed the picture to Sirius.  
Sirius smiled to see her so happy. She was playing with her Black Lab, Ace. When he first looked at it, he couldn't see her face, just that she was smiling and laughing, but then she shifted and looked at the camera. Sirius almost dropped the photo.  
"Something wrong?" James said, drinking his tea.  
"This is Orion?"  
"Yeah why?"  
"I just saw this girl this morning."  
"You're such a liar! Why would she be here?"

"This girl right here, this girl in the picture is Orion."

"Yes of course.  
"Im telling you, I bumped into her this morning."


	6. Chapter 6

Sirius tried to be as polite as possible that evening with the Potters as he could be, since he wanted more than anything to write to Elizabeth and interrogate her on the matter. However, James' family proved to be far too much fun. By the time dinner was over, he had forgotten all about Orion or that he thought he had seen her in Diagon Alley.

The rest of the break was just as, if not more enjoyable. They treated him like he lived there, not like he was a guest of the house. He liked it here, he felt at home, and for the first time in his life, he regretted going back to Hogwarts.  
He passed his time at school easily enough. Quidditch Practice took up most of his time. Adam worked them harder than they had ever been worked before, since this was his last year at Hogwarts. Sirius didn't really mean to, but he walked in one night on Adam and Jacob both agonizing about what would happen to the orchestra once they both left. They had been relying upon Orion for what music she thought they should play, but Callie had been filling as the Orchestra director.

James honestly thought Remus would have to go to the Hospital Wing for exhaustion, as he now not only had to deal with the fact that he was exhausted enough once a month, but he now was the other Gryffindor Beater, as no one else had tried out after what Tommy O'Flaugherty had to say about the position. Sirius still laughed when he remembered tryouts when Tommy's arm had been broken.

The one thing that bothered Sirius about the otherwise okay year he was having was the apparent absence of the one person he most wanted to be there. Orion still wrote to him, he still wrote to her. He knew that the threats against her and her brother were getting worse, and that they're butler and their house was the only protection they had. They now had to lock the house up tight before they went to bed every night just to ensure that they woke up the next morning.  
Orion firmly denied that she had been in diagon alley or Europe at all for that matter. Sirius had to let the matter drop, as after she thoroughly interrogated him on the subject, he had to admit that he hadn't seen Orion for two years. He had no idea how much she had changed. And she had no reason to be in diagon alley of all places in the world. HE still believe that he had in fact seen her, there was no doubt about it, but the fact that she firmly denied it forced him to let the subject drop. Around fall though, after Gryffindor had flattened Slytherin in their first match and Sirius had successfully sent Lucius Malfoy to the hospital wing with a broken arm, leg, and nose. Sirius personally thought he looked better that way. But evidently Madam Hooch didn't think so.

Callie seemed surprised that Sirius still wrote to Orion everyday asking her to please come back. But Sirius was positively thrilled when instead of her usual answer, right after Christmas in early January; she expressed a sense of humor rather than the usual seriousness of what was happening to her. The letter was only two or three sentences. Its read:  
_Sirius, I'll think about it. The Owls at Hogwarts must be either sick, dead, or very thin from all the letters. Nice Job. I think I need to report you for abuse and overwork of owls.  
Orion_  
Sirius laughed a good long laugh at her remark about Owl Abuse. He was extremely excited, and wanted to show it to Callie immediately, but since his first chance to read Orion's letter came late at night, and all his dorm mates were already asleep, he decided that he would have to show them in the morning. He set her letter on his bedside table on top of his Clow Key and went to sleep.

_Orion was sitting in her enormous window at Wayne Manor. It was late at night and it looked as if a storm were moving in. The large cloud began to billow in front of the moon, which currently was bathing Orion's room in moonlight. Her large Black lab was sleeping on her large bed. The dog itself, Sirius remembered his name was Ace, took up about half the bed. She looked out into the moonlight at the storm moving in. She swung her window shut and locked it before creeping into bed next to Ace. Sirius was standing in the middle of her room. He knew no one could see him, but Ace's head lifted and stared in Sirius direction and sniffed the air. Sirius saw a shadow fall across the room. He turned, thinking the clouds had finally moved over the moon for the storm to move in. But when he turned, he saw a person in a cloak outside Orion's window, pulling out a wand.  
"GET AWAT FROM HER!" Sirius shouted, stepping in front of her bed. Orion groaned and turned her head toward the window as the man magically unlocked the window and swung it open.  
"Sirius? Sirius why are you yelling?" she whispered to herself. Sirius spun around to look at her, but she was still sleeping. Ace stood up on her bed and started growling. Sirius ran to Orion's bedside and tried to shake her awake, but she could neither feel nor hear him. She did open her eyes when Ace leapt off her bed at the intruder in her room. The intruder pointed his wand at Ace._

_  
"Stupefy!" Ace hit the floor on top of a rug next to Orion's bed. She shrieked and ran to her dog, gently petting him and lifting him off the ground with an obvioud effot and carefully setting him behind her bed, where he was more or less safe.Sirius could only back away and watch in horror while Orion tried to defend herself with nothing but a knife against a wizard. Sirius couldn't see the man's face, but something about him reminded Sirius of one of the men in the alleyway who murdered Dr. and Mrs. Wayne. Ace growled and barked and very soon, before either Orion or her assailant could move, Alfred and Bruce were running towards Orion's room. The man turned and quickly locked the door. While he was turned Orion ran toward him. He turned just in the nick of time, but she punched him dead in the face. Sirius felt a sudden swell of pride for the vivaciousAmerican he was proud to call a friend. the man reeled back towards her window. Sirius could sense that she knew she had no chance, but she had to try. She raised her arm to throw the knife at her attacker. He brandished his wand and pointed it at her._

_  
"BRUCE!" She screamed at the top of her voice. Hr voice was shrilland echoed throughout the house.  
"STUPEFY!" The man shouted. Sirius stopped. He thought he knew the voice, but was to distract by the fact that when the spell hit Orion, she dropped the knife and fell on the floor in a heap. Sirius dropped the floor next to her and tried to wake her up. The man under the cloak put his wand away and proceeded to beat Orion to what was as close to within an inch of her life as she could ever get. Sirius tried to protect her but the mans feet and hands went straight though him. The man turned suddenly when Orion's bedroom door started to splinter and open. The assailant picked up the now limp Orion and carried her towards the window. Sirius stood up and watched with horror as the man threw Orion out of the window into the rain. Sirius could hear a dull thud when she hit the ground two stories below. Sirius staggered and fell back onto Orion's bed as Alfred kicked the door open and ran into the room, Bruce on his tail. Alfred looked around the room for Orion, but he looked horrified when he saw the open window and the rain. Bruce bellowed in rage and ran to the window.  
"LIZ, LIZ GET UP! WAKE UP LIZ PLEASE!"_  
Sirius sat straight up in his bed. Finally he had made a dent in her to come back to school, and this happened. Sirius was covered in sweat and bent over with tears running down his face. Was she dead? Would she die? Would he ever see his friend again? He hunched over in his bed crying until finally, he cried himself to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.  
_He was in the common room. One of the doors to the balcony was open. The curtains were billowing in the breeze. He pulled the curtains aside and walked out onto the balcony. She was standing in front of him on the Gryffindor Balcony. The sun was shining, and a light breeze swept her hair out of her face. She was turned around looking out over the grounds towards the lake and the Quidditch Pitch. Sirius was too shocked to run towards her, but he walked slowly, and held out his hand to touch her shoulder. Just before he touched her shoulder, her hair billowed back and ran across his hand. He had forgotten how soft her hair was. She turned and smiled at him. She looked so happy to see him.  
"I was almost home." she whispered._

_  
Sirius started to say "What?" But suddenly she fell through the balcony. She screamed and tried to reach for Sirius, he tried to reach out and grab her hand, but her hand slipped from his reach and she was lost into the darkness._


	7. Chapter 7

Sirius dragged himself out of bed early that morning and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He sat hunched over in his seat in the dark, as the sun had not come up yet, thinking about Orion. She had tried so hard to defend herself, but without magic, she couldn't protect herself against someone who was fully trained with a wand. He didn't even so much as look up until he felt someone's hand on his back, and heard someone sit down in front of him. He expected that it was his friends, however when he looked up, Jacob was sitting across from him, Callie on his right, rubbing his back.

"Sirius," Callie began. "We need to tell you something."  
"There's no need, I know already."  
Callie's eyes welled up with tears. Jacob faced remained blank. Someone hurting Orion was evidently a hit below the belt for him. Callie bent over the table crying, Jacob reached across and stroked her hair softly. Callie gripped Sirius's shirt. He turned looked at her, full of sympathy. Callie and Jacob had known Orion her whole life. Jacob looked beyond tears. The three stayed next to each other until the sun came up and James, Remus, and Peter came down. James at first thought that Callie was asleep, and Sirius simply had his arm around her, but he noticed when he sat down that she was still crying.  
"What's the matter?" Remus said, alarmed.  
Jacob looked up, the only one able to speak out of the three.  
"We got word from Bruce very early this morning."  
"And?" James said. " Why is Callie crying then?"  
Jacob sighed heavily and shoved another newspaper article towards James along with a note. James looked at the article with fear, afraid of what this would read after what the last muggle article had said. Remus took the note and read it, his face falling blank, and showing no emotion. He dropped the note staring at the article in front of him, not needing to read it any longer. James skimmed over the article, his face showing equal to that of Remus.  
"We have to go to Gotham."

"We Can't" Remus said, his voice wavering. "They won't let us leave just because of her."  
"We just have to sit here." Sirius said his teeth gritted, balling his hands into fists. "WE HAVE TO JUST SIT HERE WHILE SHE DIES!" He shouted, slamming his fists onto the table, knocking over goblets all down the table.

Bruce sat next to his sister's bed in silence. His sister was heavily bandaged, an arm and a leg broken, ribs cracked, and gashes and cuts all over. He cursed the sun for shining so happily through her windows and room. Ace remained curled up at her side, waiting for her to wake up. Bruce held her petite, cool hand in his own, wishing with all his heart that she would grip his hand back. Her instruments sat across the room, abandoned and unused, her ballet slippers hanging on her wall. Why had someone attacked her? What had she done to anyone? The sunlight aggravated him, he hated brightness. He strode over to the window, which had been newly replaced since Elizabeth had been thrown through it. He reached to shut the window and was startled for a moment when a bat flew out from behind the curtains and flew shrieking into the sunlight. HE repressed a moment's fear of bat's and scowled after it. Bruce shut the window and drew the heavy velvet curtains, blocking out all sunlight in the room. He stared at the curtain's a moment, Elizabeth never closed them, she said that they made everything look gloomy and sad. Somehow it seemed appropriate. Ace raised his head and watched Bruce turn on a lamp beside the bed and sit down again and take his sisters hand. He leaned close to her ear and whispered.

"Liz, Liz please wake up. I'm lonely." He said softly.  
_"She can't find her way back. She's lost inside her own mind, trapped in the dark without a way to escape."_ He thought to himself.

Sirius didn't rightly know how me made it through the next two months without failing out of school. He never did his homework, and in class, he simply stared at something for minutes on end. Every time he saw a window, he like Bruce, cursed the sunlight while someone half way around the world withered away into nothingness. Remus took notes and copied them for Sirius, who listened listlessly while Remus did his homework and James and Callie collaborated over his homework. HE had to hand it to them for pulling him through, though he never felt like saying it.  
The only thing Sirius ever found he could focus on was Quidditch. He knew that Orion's rightful place was beside him on her broom, waiting for a Bludger to come her way. Re imagined that every Bludger that came his way was the head of Orion's attacker, and he had no problem sending it clear across the stadium after another player. He found himself wandering up to the East Tower every Tuesday night and standing outside the room where the orchestra used to practice. At first, no one came, then one evening he heard them playing, it was beautiful, but every note lingering through the night air was like hearing Orion's voice in the calm night.

Sirius had begun receiving letters from Bruce, which he had no problem with, if he was going to destroy himself by wallowing in the despair of his mind, it was nice to talk to someone. Bruce talked of a bat that he had found in his sister's room and how fascinated he was by it. How he had fallen though a hold in the ground with her one-day and landed in a large cave underneath Wayne Manor. Sirius watched for the two months as Bruce's handwriting changed from careful and precise, to strong and powerful. Sirius felt better knowing at least that Orion was well protected.

He slept every chance he had, and his dreams constantly took him to Gotham City. He stood in her room and watched her helplessly. Every time he would try to touch her face, he was filled with an overwhelming emotion he couldn't explain and reeled back and fell into an armchair Bruce had pulled up next to her bed. He watched her, wishing she would open her eyes for only a moment, just long enough for him to tell her how much they- no - how much he missed her. If only she could hear him.

May dawned clear and warm. Sirius hated it. He was thinking of something to write back to Bruce, who hadn't written and quite a while. Jacob and Callie came and sat down at the table. He wondered vaguely why they were awake, since it was almost one in the morning, but reasoned it was perhaps because they ere studying for finals, like he had been earlier.  
"Sirius, we need to talk to you again."

Sirius' quill stopped moving instantly. He didn't like those words.  
Adam came over and sat down too, looking grave. They were on every side of him but the table. HE turned around to look at them.  
"What's wrong now?"  
"It's Liz." Adam mumbled.  
"Oh God, what now?" Sirius said, his voice rising.  
"It's just been too long." Jacob said, his face pale. Callie made a gulping noise and started crying. Jacob and Adam both hugged her tightly.  
"What." Sirius demanded.  
Adam too ka deep breathe. "They're- they're pulling the plug. She can't make it back."

If Sirius' friends thought that putting his fist through a glass door was drastic, it was nothing compared to what he did after he lost it over Orion. Callie tried to get to Sirius, but after he snapped, Adam and Jacob both dragged up into the tower and bolted the doors shut. Sirius unleashed his Clow Cards, knowing that he would hurt later, but didn't care as The Windy swept through the common room, toppling chairs into he fireplace, knocking over tables and ripping things off the walls. The Fire swept around him, licking the floors and walls, with The Water sweeping after it. Sirius could barely hear the storm that he had conjured outside. With the first flash of lighting and the deafening clap of thunder, James was out of his bed and yelling on this way down to the common room with Remus and Peter right behind him. They met Adam and Jacob, who were holding back a screaming Callie. She struggled against them to get to Sirius, but the two of them together were too strong for her.

Sirius turned towards the doors, which buckled from the pressure of the wind. He remembered the time that he had levitated Orion into the air while he was out there with her. How that was the last place he had seen her in his dreams, how he couldn't reach her hand in time...

He let out a shout of anguish and started toward the doors, his cards following behind. The Windy shattered the glass and blew it through the panes and onto the balcony; Sirius walked forward starting towards the balcony starting to feel the rain sweeping into his face, stinging him. Sirius felt the fatigue of letting all the power go at once, feeling The Fire and The Water returning to their confines and going back to his pocket. The stepped onto the balcony, The Dream putting visions of her standing in front of him. The flash of light illuminated the sky, and she faded away into the rain.  
Callie screamed and burst through Adam and Jacobs arms, trying to open the doors. The Lock had shut it tight.  
"Sirius please opens the door!"

Sirius felt extremely fatigued as Callie threw her shoulder into the door over and over. Every pound she made hammed against his head. He concentrated the last of his might to return all the rest of the cards. The door unlocked and Callie burst into the Common Room. It was destroyed. She didn't see Sirius anywhere. She ran to the balcony and saw him trying to stagger back inside. She ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"Please don't be so upset. I know it's hard, but please, for Orion, try to be strong."  
Sirius curled his fingers into her long hair. He knew deep down that she was right. He started to hug her back, but had no sooner gotten his arms around her than he collapsed into darkness.

His arms felt like lead. He could hear someone moving around him. They smelled like roses. They brushed his hair out of his face, their cool fingers dancing across his face. He tried to open his eyes, but all his did was squint. The person placed a cool hand upon his forehead. Their hand was so soft...  
Soft hair fell down, tickling his neck.  
"Who-" Sirius started, turning his head to the side.  
The cool hand gently moved his head back then slid off his head. HE grabbed their hand.  
"Who-"  
"Sirius you must calm down if you want to go home." came a calming voice. It sounded so familiar- it was familiar; in fact, he knew that voice... it was-  
"ORION NO!"  
His eyes jerked open and he sat up quickly. She was sitting right in front of him. His hand started toward her face, but just before he touched her face the smile lessened.  
"Tell me that it's not just me." Her smile looked forlorn but happy at the same time. Her smile drifted away and her eyes closed. She slumped over to her side and the darkness vanished.  
"NO!" Sirius sat straight up in bed. Callie rushed over.  
"Are you okay?"  
He was covered in sweat. He knew what he had to do.  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"Look Sirius, I'm glad you woke up. We're leaving in a few minutes and I wanted to say goodbye before we left."  
"Where are you going?"  
Callie looked apprehensive. "Dumbledore has arranged for Jacob and Adam and I to go back to Gotham for a couple days. You know, just to say goodbye and all."  
Sirius nodded, not wanting to think about it anymore. Callie stood up and gave him a hug. "Is there anything you want me to do?"  
Sirius nodded. "Give my best to Bruce."  
Callie smiled. "I will." She pulled up his blanket and walked out the door. Sirius threw the covers off and walked over to his desk. James had left a note saying that they were staying in the seventh year dorms so Sirius could get some peace and quiet. He was relieved.  
He pulled his Clow Book out of the drawer. Just as always, The Dream was on top. He spread the Cards on his desk. The Dream was the first card he captured, meaning that that would be the most powerful, and also in the case of what had happened earlier that night, the last one in. It all made sense now. The Dream allowed him to look into people's minds. He had been thinking of Orion, and ended up on her own mind. She was lost in the dark of her own mind, but he has seen a light. He had seen it when he opened his eyes. It was a hole, like a trap door, high above her. This was all in her subconscious. The light was where she spent most of her time. The dark was where she was currently lost. All he had to do to save her was get her back to that hole.

Sirius felt a soft breeze across his back. Had Callie left the window open? He stood up to go shut the window and almost walked headlong into a tall woman standing behind him. She knocked him back into his chair. He looked up and felt his jaw drop open. It was the girl that he had seen in the Owlery, but- older. Her long brown hair was down to her knees. Her deep blue eyes were like the night sky outside, her pale skin like a winter day.  
"She doesn't have much time."  
Sirius was dumbfounded. "What?"  
"The man who tried to take her life will return to finish the job tomorrow night. Your the only one who can stop him."  
"But I can't get to Gotham City."  
"You don't have too. All you have to do is save her. She can fend for herself. She's not as helpless as she was on that night."  
Sirius nodded.  
"You're far to tired now, but tomorrow evening, you must take action before its too late."  
Sirius nodded and started towards the door. He turned back to ask how long it would take, but she was gone."


	8. Chapter 8

Sirius spent the next day staring at the fireplace. James tried to talk to him, but gave up around noon. Peter wandered off to the library, but Remus and James sat with Sirius, silent, letting him lose himself in his thoughts. He tried to think about what he had to do, how he was going to do it. But his thoughts kept drifting to her. She had been there, she had seen him. He had seen her. He knew she was there and he knew he had to get her out. How she'd changed...  
"-Sirius, do you want some lunch?"  
"What?"  
"Lunch. Lunch is almost over, do you want some?"  
"No.."  
"Sirius," James said getting up. "You haven't eaten in almost a day, come get something to eat."  
"I'm not hungry."  
"Fine, but I'm bringing you something back."  
"Fine, but I'm not eating it."  
James kicked a table over. "KILLING YOURSELF WON'T BRING HER BACK!"  
Sirius looked up, surprised.  
"James," Remus started.  
"NO, LETTING HIMSELF WASTE AWAY WONT HELP HER ANY, AND SHE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF HERSELF THAT HE'S DOING THIS BECAUSE OF HER. IF SHE COULD SHE WOULD CAME BACK HERE AND KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO YOU!"  
Sirius was shocked. He stood up.  
"Lets go get something to eat." He followed Remus out of the common room. James took a deep breath and counted to ten. HE too followed them from the room.  
Sirius came back from lunch feeling better after eating. He took his place by the fire and resumed staring into space. Everything he thought of had a snag, and he just couldn't sort it out.

No one talked to Sirius until very late that evening. The sudden snap of the fire jerked him out of his deep thoughts. At least he thought is was the fire. The fire had long since gone out, and a single candle had been lit in the table next to him, probably by a house elf, he thought. He felt a sudden hand on his shoulder that nearly scared him half out of his skin. He turned and saw the same woman, but this time, she was much younger than before. Not any older than 20, he long brown hair was only midway down her back, and fleecy. Her deep blue eyes delved deep into his own. He felt as if she knew his every secret, his deepest fears.

She smiled, and all his thoughts about what she knew faded away. It was okay, she was no harm. What harm could she do?  
"Its time to go." she whispered. He nodded. He didn't bother going upstairs, he didn't know if he would make noise while he slept. He steeled himself deep into his chair, the most comfortable one in the common room, and closed his eyes. He reached into his pocket for the card and pulled his Clow key out of his pocket.  
"Dream," he mumbled to himself. Hefelt his head loll onto the die of the chair. The young girl's face blurred and finally disappeared.

_When the darkness finally disappeared, he was standing in the dark, but in a beam of light, he looked up and saw the hole high overhead. He pulled out his a card and summoned The Fire. He held his staff over his head, trying to see around him. A cold breeze flitted past his face, bringing with it the sweet smell of roses. He spun around and peered into the darkness. _

_  
He stepped in the direction of the breeze and looked around him. All around him small specs of white drifted to the ground. It wasn't cold, but all the same, he could both smell, see, and fell it. It was snowing. He kept walking, but the farther he walked, he colder it grew._

_  
He was just beginning to wonder how long he would walk when he heard someone nearby, it sounded distant, as thought through a radio that was losing a signal, but he heard it. It was Callie. He could hear her talking to Orion, the things she said secrets that only Orion was meant to hear. He tried to tune it out and kept walking. After a while, he heard Callie start to get up. _

_  
"I'm going to miss you. I'm sorry it had to end like this for you. I've tried to keep an eye on Sirius for you. I know you wish you could be there to do it yourself, but I think he'll be okay after a while. He misses you. He won't admit it, but I know he does. He wants to save you so badly." Sirius stopped. He heard someone laugh. It wasn't Callie, it was someone nearby. It sounded tired, worn out, but he heard it. _

_  
"Take care." Callie said.  
Sirius ran toward the sound and skidded through the snow when he saw a figure, curled up on the ground, their long brown hair draped partly over their face, and over their shoulder. Her breath came in small clouds. He knelt next to her and rolled her over, but almost dropped her at the sight of her face. Orion lay in the snow, her body limp and tired._

The Fire flickered and went out. He tossed the Staff aside and turned back to Orion. Sirius brushed the hair out of her face. Her hands and face were freezing cold. He gently tapped the side of her face.  
"Orion, wake up. Orion?"  
Her deep blue eyes opened ever so slightly.  
"It's Sirius, I'm here to take you home."  
She jerked away and rolled off into the snow, sitting up, her back to him. She drew her breath in short gasps.  
"You're not real. You just like all the others."  
"Orion I promise -"  
"Get away from me."  
"Orion I promise I'm real."  
She laughed, it was a weak laugh, unsure.  
"That's what all of them said. None of them were real. I've seen you every day since I've been here. Every time you promised you'd take me home, but you never did. You left." She bowed her head in silence.

Sirius stood up and walked over to her. She had her hand pressed against her face, trying to stop the tears that streamed around her fingers and down her cheeks.

"If just once you could have been real. Just once I would have been happy. I wouldn't have been so lonely." Her voice cut off and her shoulder shook in time with her crying.

Sirius searched himself to try and think of what to say. He stepped in front of her and bent close to her face.  
"Elizabeth,"  
Her shoulders stopped shaking and she moved her hand enough for her peer at him.  
"I promise I'm here to take you home, and if I'm not real, you can kill me when you get home." He held out his hand. She stared at him for a moment, then at his outstretched hand. She took her hand away from her face.  
It took Sirius' breath away. He had almost forgotten what she looked like.

She never took her eyes off Sirius' face, but slowly, she put her hand in his. He closed his hand around her own and pulled her into a tight hug. Her head lolled onto his shoulder and he felt her smile.  
He held her out and looked her over.  
"Ready to go home?"  
For a moment, her face was expressionless, but then she smiled and nodded. He pulled her to her feet. For a second her reveled in the fact that she was now shorted than him. TAll enough for him to rest his chin upon the top of her head.  
Sirius looked for the hole. It seemed only a small spec now. He turned and picked up the Staff out of the snow.  
"Fire," the Fire flared to life once more. Orion shielded eyes.

"Oh, sorry." he said quickly, moving the Fire away from her face.  
"Oh no, its alright, its just a little bright." she said with a smile. Sirius looked at her now illuminated face. The snow that fell didn't melt, but rested upon her wavy auburn hair.

Sirius fumbled in his pocket for The Fly. He heard a sudden click, distant, like he had heard Callie's voice. Orion heard it too, but neither of them thought anything of it.

Sirius pulled out The Fly and summed the large bird. He gave Orion a leg up and she pulled him up behind her.  
The Fly took off wit ha mighty beat of its wings. Sirius steered the enormous bird towards the hole high above them.  
Suddenly Sirius saw it; he was standing in Orion's room.

_It was raining outside, lightning flashing brightly, and the thunder rolling. Her wide window was swung open and a hooded man stood by her bad where she lay._

Sirius suddenly realized that he had been hearing what was happening. This man had broken into her room!  
_He picked up a pillow off the ledge below her window and held it over her face._  
Sirius tightening his grip around Orion and urged the fly forward.  
_The man pressed the pillow against her face, suffocating her._  
Orion coughed.  
"No! Hang on!" Sirius shouted above the roar of the wind.

Downstairs, Callie dropped the cup of coffee she had been drinking with a crash onto the floor. Ace, who was lying on the rug at the foot of the stairs began barking and growling, his teeth bared up the stairs. Bruce, Alfred, Adam, and Jacob, looked up, startled.

"Its Liz!" Callie shouted. Ace started up the stairs, everyone behind him, pulling out wands and hurriedly swallowing the biscuits that's Alfred had made as a late night snack before Callie, Adam, and Jacob left to go back to school. Bruce ran up next to Adam, who thought fast and shoved Bruce into his bedroom and shut the door. He seized a chair and pushed it up under the doorknob, locking him inside.

Orion began to slump over, unable to breathe. Sirius pulled her up, close to him.  
_Sirius looked around the room. The long slender knife he had seen her try to defend herself with before lay on the bedside table._  
"Orion, you have to listen." He shouted. She gasped for air unsuccessfully.  
"Orion, there's a knife on your bedside table, to your right. As soon as you wake up, grab it!"  
Orion tried to nod, but she slumped over again. Sirius pulled The Fly to a halt right under the hole.

_Orion's assailant turned and heard Alfred, Callie, Adam, and Jacob thundering down the hall, no thanks to Ace who was barking. He pulled out his wand and locked the door. Jacob slammed into the door, trying to kick it open._

Sirius helped Orion pull herself up through the hole. With a final leg up, she was through. He grabbed her hand. she turned and looked at him.  
"You not alone anymore." He said with a smile. She smiled too, then turned back to the light.   
Sirius thought about Orion's room and the blackness around him disappeared and her stepped down onto Orion's chilly hard wood floor.  
_  
Her eyes snapped open while the man was still looking towards the door. Like a flash, she seized the knife on the table and drove it straight into the mans arm._

_  
With a yell he jerked back and she pulled the knife out of his arm. Throwing back her covers she got out of bed and advanced on the man. His wand fell to the floor. He dove for it, and she stepped on top of it, snapping it in half. Jacob and Adam kicked at the door and broke it apart. Orion threw aside the knife and seized a chair sitting by her desk. Orion lifted the chair and smashed it across the man's face._

_  
The man lashed out at her and hit her across the face, she reeled back and Adam burst in and caught her while Jacob jumped forward and hit the man in return. The stranger hit at Jacob who ducked by. Orion started towards him again, her eyes chillingly cold with hate. _

_  
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She shouted. She seized him by his robes and threw him towards the window, he missed the open window and smashed through the pane glass and fell to the ground._

_  
Jacob, Callie and Adam grabbed Orion and pulled her into a strangling hug. After they let go, Orion rushed to Alfred and threw her arms around her neck. She suddenly let go.  
"Where's Bruce?"  
"He's still in his room!" Jacob said with a laugh.  
Orion didn't waste a second but was out the door in a flash, her now very long hair streaming out behind her. Sirius throught about Bruce and was suddenly standing in his room. Bruce pounded on the door, yelling furiously for someone to let him out. He stopped suddenly, hearing a voice callign down the hall for him. He looked at the shadow of feet that stopped at his door, fumbling with the chair. He backed away, not sure of who was on the other side. Quietly he slipped around the corner to his bathroom, listening to who it might be.  
Orion flung the door open and stepped inside.  
"Bruce?"  
Bruce was caught somewhere between joy and disbelief. He flug himself from his hiding place and his sister rushed at him and threw her arms around him. He held his sister tight, vowing he'd never let anyone hurt her again._

Sirius smiled and whispered to himself, recalling all his cards and drifted off to sleep in his chair, safely tucked away in the Gryffindor Tower.

James gently shook Sirius awake. Sirius opened his eyes, a smile dawning upon his face. the looks on the faces of his friends were not the same. Sirius looked around. The fire was going, but it was still dark.  
"We couldn't sleep anymore. Do you want to come get some breakfast?"  
Sirius nodded and got up, stretching as he went.

He sat down and pulled a pot of coffee close, also reaching for some biscuits, which the house elves had failed to stop serving since Orion and Bruce had left, and some bacon. He grinned when the sun started to glimmer through the windows. His friends sat in silence, eating the food without speaking to each other. Sirius waited, on edge for the Owl Post to arrive.

Finally as the sun began to shine through the windows, a few owls fluttered into the Great Hall. One owl came in for landing and touched down right in front of James and Sirius who sat across from him. He took the letter and tossed it aside. the Owl looked offended and flew off.

"You should open that. Who knows what kind of news it's got."  
"If you're so interested, then you open it." James spat. Sirius picked up the letter and opened it. He pulled the paper out, hastily written on muggle notebook paper and grinned at Callie's handwriting.  
"I think you should read this." Sirius said, holding the paper out in front of James. James looked confused at the paper and took it. He sipped some coffee while he read. Sirius bit his lips, knowing what was about to happen. James coughed and almost dropped hot coffee all over himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Sirius had expected surprise from James, but he most definitely had not expected him to come across the table at him. Sirius was taken off guard and fell backwards to the floor underneath James. Remus piled on at first and then suddenly pulled James off of Sirius and helped Sirius up.  
"Maybe we should continue this in the common room?"  
They nodded and reached each other back up to Gryffindor Tower.  
When they burst into the common room past the Fat Lady, they came to a sudden halt, Peter running into Sirius' back.  
Callie, Jacob, and Adam sat calmly by the fireplace, back in their school robes, and waiting for Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter to return. Callie looked up when they arrived.  
"You weren't in your dorm, so we figured you'd gone to breakfast."  
Sirius grinned as she ran to them all, pulling them into a hug.

For a few weeks after Orion had woken up, Sirius was contented with her staying in Gotham City. As long as she was okay, he didn't really care where she was. But after a while, the feeling began to fade, and it was replaced with the same empty hunger that he felt before, when she wasn't around. He had gotten no mail from her, he was curious why, but then, he had sent her no mail yet. He just couldn't find the right words.  
He had saved her life. He was overjoyed that he had done so, but he was almost embarrassed.  
He leaned back in his chair, sucking on the end of his quill. She was like a damsel in distress. He was like a Knight in shining armor on a white horse.   
_Well, it was a bird, but it was white._ He thought to himself. He paused musing the thought to himself. He didn't realize how far back he was tipping his chair. Suddenly Callie wandered into the Dorm. Startled, Sirius' chair fell over backwards and Sirius found himself staring up at Callie from the floor. She bent over him with a grin.  
"Hello."  
He waved back.  
"I have a letter for you."  
Sirius reached up and grabbed the letter. He ripped it open and pulled out the parchment.  
_Sirius,  
I've thought about this for almost a week, but I still can't find the words. Hope fully you already know what I'm trying to say, but for right now, that best I can do it say  
Thank You_  
Sirius smiled at the simple letter. He didn't feel so stupid now that he knew he wasn't the only one who couldn't find the words.

Sirius sat at his desk late at night quill in hand. He had long since shut the hangings on his friend's bed. There was no need for them to be woken up by the light or the scratching of his quill. He pondered upon how exactly to write this letter.  
_Dear Orion -_  
He scratched it out. That sounded like they were going out or something.  
_Orion-_  
He scratched that out too. It sounded too informal, like they were merely acquaintances, not friends. He decided to skip the introduction for the time being and go on to the rest of the letter.  
_Dear Orion-  
Orion-  
I'm sorry I haven't sent you any mail. It seems that neither of us could find the words. I suppose that for the both of us its kind of a touchy subject so let my just skip this.  
The orchestra is back on its feet, but it's not the same without you. I stand outside and listen every now and then. I never go in, I don't want to disturb them.  
The Quidditch team made it to the finals. Remus is playing in your stead. He's actually quite good, but of course, he didn't play whatever that game was that you played, so he doesn't beat you by a long shot. I know he won't admit it, but I know he like whacking a ball at other people on a broom a hundred feet from the ground. _  
Sirius stopped and turned around. Peter stood next to his bed.  
"Why are you up so late?" he asked softly, fully aware of the other two sleeping occupants of their room.  
"I was just trying to write a letter to Orion."  
Peter smiled, not his usual 'omigosh I idolize you' smile, but just a smile, a regular one.  
"You miss her."  
"Of course I do, we all do."  
Peter cocked his head to one side.  
"No I mean you _miss_ her."  
Sirius was taken aback. Was Peter right? Sirius stared at Peter for a moment, not really seeing him.  
"Yeah I guess I kind of do. I feel responsible."  
Peter took a step forward.  
"Its not your fault."  
Sirius paused. "Do you think so?"  
Peter took another step forward and sat down in the chair to his desk.  
"Sirius you didn't shoot her parents. You were Thousands of kilometers away; there was nothing you could do to stop it. But you helped her cope with it. You've done everything you can."  
Sirius stopped, lost for words. He had never thought of Peter as being a deep thinker, but Sirius could tell Peter had been dying to say what he'd said for a long time.  
Peter walked over to Sirius and put a hand on his shoulder.  
"She'll come back. I know she will."  
He walked back to his bed and climbed in, shutting the hangings of his bed.  
"I can't wait to see your face when she comes back."  
Sirius turned dumbfounded back to the letter.  
He couldn't think of anything else to say in relation to school. He picked up his quill.  
_You send some pretty strange angels. I hope Bruce is good, give him a hug from me. Give Ace a scratch behind the ears. And tuck yourself into bed warmly tonight._  
Sirius stopped, not able to believe that he had just written that. He shrugged and continued to think about how to being the letter. Finally he settled upon something simple, something that only she would understand. He searched for another piece of parchment, unable to find one. He sighed and went back to the top of the piece, and tore off the top of the paper, leaving just enough room for his introduction.  
_My Damsel in Distress,  
I'm sorry I haven't sent you any mail. It seems that neither of us could find the words. I suppose that for the both of us its kind of a touchy subject so let my just skip this.  
The orchestra is back on its feet, but it's not the same without you. I stand outside and listen every now and then. I never go in, I don't want to disturb them.  
The Quidditch team made it to the finals. Remus is playing in your stead. He's actually quite good, but of course, he didn't play whatever that game was that you played, so he doesn't beat you by a long shot. I know he won't admit it, but I know he like whacking a ball at other people on a broom a hundred feet from the ground.  
You send some pretty strange angels. I hope Bruce is good, give him a hug from me. Give Ace a scratch behind the ears. And tuck yourself into bed warmly tonight.  
Your Knight in Shining Armor_  
He folded the letter and put it into an envelope and carried to the Owlery. He paused before entering, wondering if he would see his phantom in the window again. With a deep breath, he pushed the door open and walked inside. He picked and owl a tied the letter to its leg, ad turned to a window.  
There she was standing in the window, leaning against the side of the staring out into the night. Sirius stared at her for a second, at her clothing. He could see better now than ever how slender she was, her waist small and petite. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she wore a black turtleneck and black pants. What looked to he a knife was sheathed and strapped to her right thigh, its handle just grazing the window frame. He long brown hair was French braided, draped over her shoulder. Sirius let his owl go and stood behind her, thinking of what she had said in the past.  
"Your not alone." he said softly and turned to go. Behind his back, her hair almost magically came of its French braid, billowing out to her lower back.  
Her eyes got big, she turned to see who had said the words, but she saw no one.

Orion went up and down, up and down, pulling the letter out of its envelope. She read the letter, a smile spreading across her face. She paused halfway down the page, vaguely wondering why the top of the page was torn off.  
"Are you sure this isn't bothering you?"  
"Yeah, your fine."  
Are you really sure, Bruce, I don't want to hurt you."  
"Naw, your fine, really."  
Orion shrugged. Bruce continued doing pushups while Orion sat on his back. She went back to reading the letter. Her brow furrowed and she stopped when she came to the last sentence. She smiled, almost embarrassed and folded the letter back up.  
Bruce smiled through his sweat, just happy to have his dear sister back. Now that he had her, her swore to himself, that no one would ever hurt her again. Her smile brought him unrivaled joy, though her face still held one long cut alone her slender cheekbone, flawing her otherwise beautiful face. He hoped beyond hope that the cut would fade away, but another part of him hoped it would remain, and everyday reminder of what he was fighting for. Her words snapped him out of his trance.  
"Are you almost finished?"  
"Three hundred more."  
Orion sighed and held still while her brother finished his pushups.


	10. Chapter 10

Though he sometimes hated himself for it, Sirius had no time to write to Orion. All of his time was spent studying for exams and the Quidditch Finals. At present, he hadn't slept in about four days because he had tried to write a letter to Orion, but had gotten sidetracked every time. Remus, Sirius had noticed had grown stronger since becoming Beater for the team. Remus insisted that he was only doing this until Orion came back to school. It kept Sirius hopeful that someone else firmly believed she would return -  
Eventually.

"So you think we're gonna do okay at the finals?" James asked over eggs and bacon one morning, about a week from the final game.  
"I think we've got as good a chance at the other side" Remus said.  
"Oh Remus Remus, always thinking of others." James said with a sarcastic look on his face.  
"Well there's no point in getting cocky about it, thats how people lose." Callie mumbled from across the table next to Sirius.  
"Yeah, that or they just suck and get squashed." Sirius pointed out rather matter of factly. Callie smacked him in the head. He glared at her, rubbing his head.  
"Sirius were you going to open that?" Peter mumbled.  
"What?"  
Peter nodded towards Sirius' plate. When He looked down, there was an envelope with his name on it.  
Sirius just stared.  
"Sirius?" Callie said, shaking his arm.  
"Maybe you hit his head too hard." James said, turning to look at him, then stopping when he saw the look upon his friend's face. Remus, who was sitting next to James leaned forward.  
"Sirius. Sirius whats wrong?"  
James started to panic.  
"Sirius what rhe hell is the matter?"  
Remus remained calm.  
"Callie. Callie."  
Callie, who was still vigourously shaking Sirius' arm looked over.  
"Who's the letter from?"  
"I dont know its not Elizabeth!"  
"fa-"  
"what?"  
"Father"  
James and Callie as well were now both paniced and alarmed.  
"Sirius what the hell are you talking about?" James questioned, leaning across the table.  
Sirius gulped, having trouble finding his voice.  
"Its... its from my father."  
James leaned back, looking agitated.  
"Then what are you freaking out about?"  
Sirius wrenched his eyes away from the letter and looked at James with an eyebrow raised  
"James when was the last time my father wrote me?"  
James was silent, thinking.  
"He's never written me." Sirius said.  
"Well Congratulations." James mumbled.

Sirius opened the letter slowly, the envelope was old, weather beated and dried. It had taken far longer than it was supposed to to get there, as if it had gotten lost or something.  
He pulled out the parchment and was utterly confused.  
_Dont let her survive._

Sirius sat in his seat for a few minutes, dumbfounded. He didn't know exactly who "her" was, but if it was from his father, he probably didn't want to hear it anyways. But why would his father contact him? Sirius got up and marched straight to the Owlery. It was after all broad daylight, his phantom would have no reason to be there. He put the letter back in the envelope and charmed it shut again before sending it home. Surely the letter was meant for his mother about something else.

When he turned around however, he found he had a whole troop of people waiting for him. Callie, James, Remus, and Peter all stood waiting. He took a deep sigh of relief, still wonder vaguely who "her was. He started to give them a relieved smile when he blood ran cold.   
Just behind them, there she was, his phantom walked straight by behind them. He had never seen much of her face, not how tall she was on his level. He knew that she was not real, but as she walked by, her black robes billowing behind the legs of his friends, and her hair flowing back as well, she clearly turned her head and saw him before passing behind a shelf.

"Sirius!"  
Callie stepped forward unexpectedly.  
"huh?"  
"what were you looking at?"

Sirius shrugged and stepped past them into the corridor. They followed behind at a close distance. He had a lot on his mind, but to convice them otherwise he pulled a stink pellet out of his pocket and threw it at them. It hit the ground at Callie's feet, she looked down curiously, and was only saved by Remus, who quickly grabbed her around the waist and heaved her out of the way.

Sirius felt instantly better and run off down the hall, positively howling with laughter.

Sirius' teammates found him on the field with Jacob, Adam, and Sophie, waiting with his broom.  
"Ugh, what stinks?" Jacob said loudly with disgust.  
"Well, we dont stink quite as badly as them." Callie said pointing at James and Peter, who hadn't jumped out of the way quite as fast as Remus and Callie. James and Peter themselves were looking grouchy and mad.

Sirius laughed and climbed on his broom.  
With half the team trying to unseat him, Beater or not, the practice definetely put Sirius on his toes, and he knew that if they kept this up, setting off another stink pellet before the final in the locker room would definetely ensure their victory over Slytherin.

Sirius master plan to set off another Stink Pellet didn't go over too well, as he somehow ended up at the receiving end of an acid Lollipop. After being discharged from the Hospital Wing only two days before the Quidditch Finals, he decided they were riled up enough.  
He found that he didn't have as much time to think about Orion. He was too busy, but then, he reasoned, he would have time to bother he later.

The night before Quidditch Finals, Sirius found Remus much more calm than he would have expected. After attempting to get him excited about something, he gave up and turned the floor over to Callie, whom had jut walked into the Common Room.  
She paused when she saw him.

"Hey I got a letter for you."  
Sirius stood up and took the letter, ripping it open. He pulled out a card wishing them good luck at the Quidditch Finals. He smiled and stuck the card in his pocket. James climbed through the portrait hole from who knows where.

"Game of chess?" Sirius offered.  
"Not now im tired." James said starting towards the dormitory.  
"Your just don't wanna play because you know I'll beat you." Sirius muttered, grinning as his friend stopped just short of the door. He turned around and marched over to the table ready to play.  
Unfortunately, Adam marched over looking unapproving.  
"Bed. Now."  
Sirius started to retort. Then he remembered that punch he'd landed on the man who'd attacked Orion. HE got up without a word.  
"Why? Its only 9 o'clock." James said, not moving. Sirius started to tell him to just drop it and go to bed. Adam leaned close to James.  
"I said Bed, Now." came his menacing baritone.  
James nodded and got up.  
Sirius laughed all the way up to the dormitory until James offered him another lollipop. Sirius ceased his laugher begrudgingly and got into bed.

_Orion sat in her large window, which had been newly replaced. Ace sat on the ledge as well, his large head resting on her leg. She scratched behind his ear absentmindedly, looking up at the crescent moon far above her. Wayne Manor was across the harbor from Gotham City, but from the angle she sat at, she could just see the lights of the Metropolis across the water. She turned her head back and rested it against the side of the window, gazing out across the water. She sighed and slowly extricated her legs from underneath Ace's head and walked back to her bed. She pulled back the sheets and slid in between then laying her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes._

_  
Sirius looked around her room. It was much the same as it was before, her sleek satin red point shoes hung on the wall. Her viola and her cello lay safely in their cases in the corner. He knelt at the foot of her bed, running his fingers over the gouge on the floor where she had dropped the knife on its end earlier that year._

_  
Ace trotted across the room and leapt what would have been lightly upon her bed and flopped over onto his side. Of course this took up the remaining three quarters of the bed. Orion smiled and rolled on her side kissing the top of Ace's head. Pero leapt lightly onto the bed and curled upon the pillow next to her. Looking contented, Orion went to sleep.  
The sun was bright, the day pleasant. Orion walked down an alleyway slowly. She wore a long trench coat tied close around her small waist. Her long brown hair reached almost to her legs. She wore sunglasses despite the shade she was not walking in. Alfred waited at the end of the alley watching her protectively. She carried a bouquet of dark red roses she carried carefully, as though she thought she might break them. She walked to particular point in the alley, and stopped, staring at the pavement. She knelt gracefully by the spot, running her hand across the concrete._

_  
"I miss you," she whispered to no one in particular. She pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head, pulling her hair out of her face. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. One ran down her cheek and fell onto the pavement, revealing the faded bloodstains on the ground._

_  
"Keep an good eye on Bruce Mom." She paused, whipping a tear away.  
"I miss you so much daddy." She sniffled and set the roses upon the spot as if it were a baby. She pulled her sunglasses over eyes again and stood up. She backed away, as though afraid to take her eyes away from the spot. She stopped and stared for a moment longer, then turned her back and walked away towards Alfred._


End file.
